OT: Womens World Cup Greatest Excuse for Loss Ever!

Ok due to N. Korea being so secluded it cannot be said that is story isn't false but really come on! I give this 5 fakes out of 5 Players struck by lightning.... Well thats a new one (and yet surprisingly creative).

I saw that Hennessey thing when I was looking for a reply to your post. The fact that he consumes 70% of an average subjects yearly income on a bottle of liquor is enough for me to want him dead and gone immediately (based on him "leading" their planned economy).

He's quite possibly the most evil man on this earth today. Outside of Pyongyang, the country has little electricity, and is completely dependent on substinence agriculture. Just watch any one of many documentaries on North Korean life. It's depressing to watch people go through life knowing nothing and not realizing how much they are being screwed over.

I do. My point is that this guy throws around $20M on Mercedes and $750k on Hennessey every year, not to mention his private armored train that gets helicoper deliveries of Lobster, which he eats with pure gold chopsticks, and yet his country still doesn't have these things. I understand that a large percentage of people live the same way, but they don't live under a repressive leader that manipulates the economy to that extreme.

Give me an example of one country where the ruling class/wealthy restrain themselves until everyone else has had enough to eat.

"It's depressing to watch people go through life knowing nothing and not realizing how much they are being screwed over."

Do you really think they don't know that they live in a country without freedom of the press and freedom of religion and freedom to vote? If you think about it those things really don't impact your everyday life as much as you think. When was the last time you published something critical of our government? Almost half of the people in the US who can vote don't. Plus only about 20% of Americans ever leave the country so it's not like we take advantage of that freedom either. The point is there are legitimate human rights issues in NK but there is no reason to exaggerate the conditions. It's lazy of you to do so and insulting to North Koreans, especially when you say "they go through life knowing nothing".

I imagine you've never seen, met, or talked to a North Korean but somehow you think you know enough to say things like that. You obviously don't know much about NK and it's offensive - not just to me.

You're right, I've never met a North Korean in my life. Access to them is pretty limited. My knowledge comes from my own personal research in the library, on the internet, and through various documentaries. I can't say that my knowledge is perfect, but from my own research, I see a group of people that have been brainwashed into a repressive cult of personality, and I don't believe that the large majority understand democracy, freedom, or the idea of an alternative government. Not through any fault of their own, but North Korean society is closed to outsiders, and only recently has started to open up due to more trade with China.

I in no way mean to offend North Koreans. But those are the conditions they live under. And yes, many Americans don't fully participate in our political system, and don't fully understand their interatctions with government. But they have the choice to do so if they are willing to put in the time and effort. North Koreans don't have that choice, and the majority don't understand it. And if you think that a free press doesn't affect our lives every day, you are wrong.

"I see a group of people that have been brainwashed into a repressive cult of personality, and I don't believe that the large majority understand democracy, freedom, or the idea of an alternative government."

You, me, and 99.99% of the board has never played Michigan football (and I would say 50% never played any sort of football), yet we come here and act like we know it all. It's perfectly fine to form an opinion about something based on what media is available. And in this particular case, that is all we can use since no one is really allowed to visit the country.

But from what I have seen and from what outside people have reported (who have been to NK), most posters are correct in their assessment of NK, yet you get on their case for it. Why? It is fucked up place for many reasons and to trivialize this by saying many Americans don't participate in our own civil liberties is wrong.

Not just our media, but just about every media outlet in the world (except for NK), echo the same concerns regarding NK. Then again, you can believe the NK media where KJII claims are beyond believeable (and are actually quite laughable).

"We think we are so much better yet so many people die even in our country from lack of health care every year."

No, we think we are so much better for so many more reasons. How many people die from lack of healthcare in NK? Or howabout lack of running water in NK? The list is endless.

All countries have problems, there is no denying that, but to leverage said problems to trivialize those in NK is flat out wrong. There is a concern not only to the lives in NK, but also those around the world (constant threats of nukes, missles, etc).

...I didn't read anyone's post that even came close to insinuating that we are better for the reasons you state. However, I can say for certain that we are a much better place to live than NK for reasons that have nothing to do with wealth or consumption.

One major proxy to determine the state of human life is the life expectancy. NK is at 69 years (ranked 149 in the world), US is much better.

...but ceratainly no direct relation or causation. We rank 50 in the world in life expectancy. I would say that we have more resources and wealth than 90% of those countries ahead of us in the rank. There are many factors at play that drive this, wealth and resources are a but a small portion of these factors.

Just for information purposes, the difference between the US (rank 50) and Andorra (rank 4) is about 4 years, then it shoots up pretty fast - there is a lot of crowding at the top.

are a little different when they derive their weath solely from the taxation of their subjects. Kim Jong Il is a feudal lord, and his Hennessey collections, lobster dinners and whatever bullshit ensues when he feels like giving the rest of the world the finger are directly responsible for the economic collapse of his nation and the poverty of those within it.

You made the point more eloquently than I did above. The reason KJI is so despicable for living the way he does is because his money is earned like a feudal lord. I have no problem with Larry Page going on a 1955 Dom Perignon and lobster diet on his yacht until he's actively extorting wealth from others.

I've not been to NK, but know several people who have been on medical and educational missions to NK. One has been several times to do medical missions and one actually received a visa to live in NK for a year.

It is a fact that they start life brainwashed, many go through life brainwashed, and many go through life knowing that something is wrong, but not being able to understand how. Many believe that as poor as their living conditions are, that those in other countries are actually far worse. They are taught that they have it good, and that Americans and South Koreans are destitute and depraved people. They live in fear of reprisal from the government. These are all facts.

...that is not what I said, but the pictures are very telling - your picture doens't prove your point. For example, while NYC seems to be using the most electricity as indicated by visible light emission (this proxy is debatable, I admit), it is probably the most densely populated in the US (like Pyongyang is to NK). However, you need to consider the following:

1. Area around NYC (including Long Island, parts of Jersey, Conn, and update NY) is about the same as NK.

2. This NY metropolitan area has about 18M people, compared to about 24M for NK. Therefore, NK is more densely populated. Imagine increasing the population of NYC by 6M more people and reducing electricity usage to what you see in the NK picture. Yikes!

As for your assessment of the Mountain Time Zone, it roughly has a population of NK (about 1M more people), but those MTZ states use more electricity and is evenly dispresed around the major metropolitan areas as expected.

Therefore, you have to look at electricity use/person as an indication. Without doing anymore research, I'm willing to go out on a limb and say that NK has one of the lowest electricity use/person numbers in the world. So much so, that they cannot provide a lot of the basic needs that more electricity use has to offer.

Most definately under. As opposed to Cuba, where there is outside influence from western travelers and the Miami media, the DPRK is completely sealed off, and these people literally believe everything they are told. They believe North Korea is paradise, and everyone else wants to live there, including the imperialist agressors. Every single one of them will return to N. Korea at the end of the tournament.

A little over the top, but North Korea has an incredible amount of control over what it's people know, and I doubt many people away from the Chinese border know much of anything about what is really going on both in North Korea and outside of it.

"By December 2005, the government terminated most international humanitarian assistance operations in North Korea (calling instead for developmental assistance only) and restricted the activities of remaining international and non-governmental aid organizations."

"no independent media; radios and televisions are pre-tuned to government stations; 4 government-owned television stations"

I think I've been very clear. I'm just taking issue with the jump that was made between North Koreans living in a country with restrictions on personal freedoms such as press, religion, etc, and the implication that they are no longer free thinking individuals, or that because of propganda they have lost their ability to think critically of their system of government. The propoganda a person is willing to repeat in an interview to foreign media or foreign visitors about their country can be very different from what they know in their own mind.

I think it's important to not sensationalize things and be intelligent and specific with criticism - especially when the person doesn't have a background in the subject. I come here to read speculation on football, but one thing we dont do is insult the players or recruits and I have a hard time not saying something when I see things said like that about the mental faculty or intelligence of North Koreans.

Weren't there rumors of attempted defections from the men's team in South Africa? I remember because they hung in there pretty well in their first game against Brazil and then I think the defection rumors came after that game. Considering the way the rest of their games went I'm inclined to believe something was going on there.

a magical hummingbird visited the People of North Korea foretelling the birth of Kim Jong Il.

Later that year, the hummingbirds prophecy was fulfilled atop Mount Paektu, the highest mountain ever. Kim Jong Il emerged, walking out from his mothers Patriotic and Revolutionary Vagina six months prematurely and without the aid of a physician, thus rendering the Korean medical community irrelevant. In shame all doctors fled our Great and Innovative Nation never to return.

Lauren Cheney got the start at left mid, replacing Megan Rapinoe, who did get in as a sub. G Hope Solo had to have a painkilling shot in her right shoulder before the game. 82 degrees at game time, though 3/4 or more of the field was in shade.

1' - A seemingly promising start, Lauren Cheney is just outside the box on the left, sends a vertical pass into the box to Abby Wambach and doesn't quite connect.

2' - Give and go in the center of the field, Amy Rodriguez sends a pass back to Carli Lloyd at midfield moves left to find space, Lloyd gets it back to her, she dribbled forward and shoots from 28 yds out. It goes harmlessly wide right.

10' - Free kick from just over the center line, Lloyd heads it down from 11 yds out, but it has no velocity, and G Hong Myong Hui easily picks it up off the bounce.

11' - Free kick from US end gets headed back and forth, settled by Rodriguez, who passes back to Cheney, who dribbles right and shoots - right at the goalie.

16' - Odd moment. NK throw in, RB Song Jong Sun takes 10 sec looking for a place to throw the ball - a couple of her teammates are seen moving around, and the ref blows the whistle and comes over to tell her she can't take so long, pointing to her watch.

22' - A US player (can't tell who) dribbles up the right side, cuts to center, passes towards the box. Wambach? steps over the ball and backheels, and Lloyd has a great chance right at the 18 in the center, but a NK defender slide tackles and blocks the shot, causing her to stumble. She recovers the ball, takes a weak shot that rolls right to the keeper (this will be a theme of the first half).

29' - Heather O'Reilly passes square to Shannon Boxx at the center line, but it's not on the ground, and Boxx doesn't control it. Kim Su Gyong starts dribbling up the field, and Boxx pulls her down. Free kick goes to the right wing, cross deflects off Cheney? and goes all the way through the box to the end line to the right of goal. No NK was able to get to it, and it gets cleared. Ian Darke calls it "pretty unconvincing defending" and mentions Rachel Buehler as not being quite sure of her bearings.

34' - Alex Krieger at right midfield, sends a pass up to Rodriguez, who controls it just outside the box, then with a burst of speed dribbles down the side of the box and gets just enough room to cross it in. NK defender heads it at the 6, but Cheney is at the 18, settles it, and takes a shot, which has some velocity, but is again right at Hong, who knocks it down and grabs it off the bounce.

35' - NK gets the ball after the punt, sends it back to midfield, square pass to the right, then up to Kim, who takes on LePeilbet and beats her. 6 yds from the end line at the side of the box, she crosses it in. Boxx is tracking back with a NK player, reaches back to get a foot on it, then falls to the turf, perhaps nudged by the NK player. The ball rolls out past the corner of the 6 yd box into space. Kim and LePeilbet head for the ball, both slide, but Kim is a little quicker and gets a shot off to the near post. Boxx, who's only made it to her knees, ducks under the shot, and Hope Solo dives and punches the ball out of bounds.

36' - Cheney, at the left sideline, passes up to Wambach, who passes back to Lloyd making a run up the middle. She protects the ball from a defender, bumping her off with a shoulder and takes a shot from 24 yds. It's low, but right at the keeper.

39' - Song at right midfield passes up to F Ra Un Sim at the side of the box. LePeilbet goes to double. Ra passes square to Song, who has continued her run up the side. LePeilbet goes to cover, but gets beat as Song cuts in and heads toward the end line. She gets inside the box, dribbling all the way to the side of the 6 yd box, where she centers the ball past a diving Solo, who was at the post. Two NK players were lurking just outside the 6, so there's no one to get a foot on the ball and redirect it for a goal. It rolls all the way across the face of the goal, and Krieger gets to it and passes it to O'Reilly out of danger. Phew!

41' - NK center mid sends a deep ball to the right where Kim is all alone at the side. She threads a pass between two US players to Ra, just outside the box, and Ra passes back as Kim moves to the center. Kim centers a pass to Yun Hyon Hi, inside the box, and she passes right to Ra who has made a run into the box. Ra's shot goes past the far post. Great combination play, bad finish. Announcer Julie Foudy says the US body language is a little negative.

42' - Kim gets a pass at the right sideline and brings it up, heading towards the endline and closer to the box. LePeilbet defending. Kim fakes a cut left and gets enough room to take a last dribble towards the end line and cross it in. Yun made a run into the 6 yd box and redirects the ball from 4 yds out. Solo makes the save.

43' - US counterattack: Lloyd? running from the US end up the right sends a pass to Rodriguez at the sideline. She is heading towards the end line but at 18 yds cuts inside and beats her defender. She runs into the box and at the corner of the 6 centers a pass. Unfortunately, it's just a bit too far in front of Wambach, who was moving diagonally back from left to center. She reaches but can't get a foot on it.

Stoppage time - Lloyd has a free kick at left midfield, curls it into the box, but it's ahead of all the US players (Buehler was closest and leapt for it, but it was over her), bounces behind the NK defense, and Hong grabs it. Off the punt players leap for it, it bounces NK's way, and Yun takes a shot from 32 yds. Solo gets over easily and saves. Halftime.

Holy crap, that didn't look like the #1 team!
Well, there are a lot of players who are making their World Cup debut, so perhaps it was first game jitters.

The US didn't maintain possession very well.
True, but NK plays very compact, so Coach Pia Sundhage had told them to stretch NK both vertically and horizontally. Sending long balls doesn't always work. Getting wide did generate some opportunites.

ARGH left back getting burned déjà vu!
I feel you (er, me?). Fortunately no goals. Solo was sharp, didn't seem bothered by her shoulder. What is a bit odd is that LePeilbet was supposed to be a better defender that Stephanie Cox (though on her club team she plays in central D, not left back). Also Cheney was a somewhat surprising selection for starting left mid, when Megan Rapinoe had been playing there. Coach Sundhage will have something to say in the locker room about her getting back to help LePeilbet.

What's with all the shots right at the goalie?
The US certainly didn't challenge Hong, but at least Cheney was getting a number of shots, showing it wasn't a bad decision to start her.

LOL. About to start the second half, Ian Darke calls Dresden "boiling hot." For an Englishman, perhaps 82 is. Normal for a Michigan summer, probably cool for those further south.

47' - Lloyd wins the ball in the US side of midfield, dribbles forward. Just before crossing the center line she passes up to Wambach? at the upper edge of the circle. She is dispossessed by a NK slide tackle, but the ball goes up 10 yds to the right. Rodriguez cuts back to the ball and makes a nice pass to Cheney making a run up the middle. Cheney takes a dribble and shoots low - yes, you guessed it - right at the goalie.

48' - Odd sub by NK. F Yun comes off for defender Paek Sol Hui, who goes to LB, and the LB goes up. Foudy later speculates it might be Paek can better keep up with the speedy O'Reilly and Rodriguez attacking from the right.

49' - US free kick is cleared back to midfield, where Christie Rampone sends a high lob to the left side of the box. As a NK defender leaps, Boxx comes across from the left leaping for it. They might have sandwiched the ball between their heads, and it drops to the center, right in Boxx's path. She sends a shot over the net.

50' - O'Reilly at the right sideline sends a cross into the left side of the box. It goes over a leaping US player, bounces, and Cheney leaps up to stop it with her stomach. She comes down and just after the ball bounces, she hits it down, and it bounces past a couple of NK defenders and once more before a diving Hong grabs it. Not directly at her this time, but Cheney was stretching for the ball, and the bounces robbed it of velocity, so Hong didn't have to extend on her dive.

51' - LePeilbet sends a pass up the left side. Rodriguez is quick enough to get to it and shield it from a NK player. She drives end line and centers to Wambach 9 yds out, whose first touch isn't ideal. The ball does go by a defender to the left corner of the 6 yd box, where she slides to get a shot, beating two defenders to the ball. But it goes high.

54' - Lightning strikes! Lloyd sends a long pass from the US side of midfield to the left. Wambach chases it down 6 yds from the end line. She fakes a cross, defender buys it and leaps as she cuts it back. She crosses from the side of the box to Cheney, who was at the 6 in the center and backed down the line (to the right) to get away from her defender. She leaps and heads it back across the goal to the far post. Hong has no chance.

56' - Long ball from NK defense is headed back by Krieger, but it goes to Ri Ye Gyong at midfield, 38 yds out. She settles it, dribbles forward down the center of the field and shoots from 24 yds. Rising shot skips off the top of the crossbar. US midfield didn't get back to slow her up, and neither center back stepped up on her.

58' - Ri sends a diagonal pass from central midfield to the right corner of the box. NK player is double teamed, but she pops the ball between them to Kim, who pokes it foward, right to Boxx, whose weak kick knocks the ball right back. Kim centers a short pass to Ri, who shoots from 20 yds. It's a roller to the right corner which Solo easily picks up.

60' - Rampone takes a free kick from left midfield. NK defender heads it down. Cheney 16 yds out in the center, turns around and sticks a foot out to settle the ball. O'Reilly steps up to take a shot from 20 yds; it goes wide left.

65' - Cheney chases down a ball on the left wing and just keeps it in play (it's on the line, but not over). She passes back to LePeilbet, who sends a long cross from left midfield to Wambach, who's unmarked at the 6, just to the right of goal. Nearby defender paying more attention to the ball. Wambach heads it down, it bounces up from the turf off the goalie's hands then off the crossbar and back onto the field, where the goalies gets it. So close!

76' - US corner from the left cleared to the right by NK header. Krieger rushes up, gets to the ball and pushes it forward. She takes a shot from the wing which hits the crossbar. It bounces, then Rachel Buehler gets a head on it, popping it up and back to center. Lloyd with her back to goal attempts to turn and shoot, but it's blocked and rolls away towards the 18. Buehler, who had dropped back, slides in with a hook shot that finds the lower left corner past the outstretched arms of a diving Hong. Lightning strikes twice!

Um, what?!
I mean, US pressure early in the second half finally resulted in a goal. Possession was a little better after that, though it only ended with the US at 53%. The US had 19 shots, 12 on goal, to NK's 13 shots, 7 on goal. Then after a corner, NK couldn't organize their D, clearly suffering from the aftereffects of greatzotitis.

OK, whatever.
If you can't stand the heat, stay out of Germany? The US reacted better to a loose ball and put it in the back of the net for the 2nd goal.

Final Thoughts
This US team often starts slowly, and combined with possible first game jitters, it made for a shaky first half. Also, NK was pretty good with their passing at times, and their speedy players were able to get around LePeilbet more than once, but they didn't have someone to finish. Sundhage made halftime adjustments and doubleteams on the wing mostly held NK in check (no free runs down the wing and into the box). I'm slightly concerned about central mid with Lloyd and especially holding mid Boxx getting caught upfield. A better team could exploit the space behind midfield and in front of the defense. We can't be giving up runs all the way to just outside the box. Solo was sharp on some first half saves, not really challenged on the rest. Foudy reported she's going to get a shot in her shoulder before every game, but it didn't seem to be an issue.

Next up is Columbia on Sat at noon EDT. Columbia lost 1-0 to Sweden (I don't think I'm going to have a recap). Hopefully we get a win, and Sweden doesn't, or at least we maintain our GD lead.

I just want my athletes and their coaches to be amusing, and this fits the bill. Bravo, North Korean Women's Soccer Coach Who Must Desperately Try To Save Face Or Face An Uncertain Fate. Bravo.

Does anyone know what happened to the men's coach after that world cub debacle? I remember them being ridiculed in public for a few hours and heard rumors that he ended up in a labor camp or something but never really confirmed anything.

Unbelievable I started a thread about a funny sports story (IMO) where a coach blames an undocumented lightning strike as the cause of failure at a current sporting event on the world stage. Then it turns into a political debate over socialism and rights/life styles of the NK people.

If it wasn't for the very well written game recap I would ask the MOD's to remove the entire thread. That said, if the MOD's can bump the game recap to its own thread by all means please do because this thread has officially derailed.

I apologize for what this thread has become. Though I didn't think the initial story would cause this.